Front Man
by Firewifesara
Summary: Rachel Berry wants to be famous and her band, 'The Titans' is gaining local popularity. When tempers rise, the drummer quits and a replacement is needed. Things get awkward when Rachel realizes that her and the hunky new drummer have met before. AU Finchel Complete
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- I'm back with a new AU story! ****I have no real knowledge of making it in the music business, and Google will only tell me so much. Please go with me on it. AS I was writing this, I decided that it works better as a multi chapter. The good news is that, as of right now, it is 95% written, so updates should be happening regularly.**

**Thanks RedAmbition for all the hand holding and overall support. She is the wind beneath my wings. She also has a story in progress and its amazing. If you haven't yet, you should check it out.**

**I do not own Glee or its characters nor do I own the music used. This is purely for fun.**

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Rachel Berry was going to be famous.

She knew it, she always has. Ever since she was a little girl, she told everybody that one day they would be paying to see her sing. Most people didn't believe her, they would only pat her head and tell her she was cute. When she attended high school, she maintained the inevitability of her stardom to anybody who was in earshot.

The reaction was less than welcome. High school had been brutal for her. It turns out that nobody cares how good of a singer you are. If you were less than popular, a slushie facial was likely to be a part of your day. The hockey and football team along with the cheerleaders spent time tearing down those around them and even though Rachel had stopped bragging about her abilities at school, her desire to one day be famous never wavered.

Rachel had met Santana her sophomore year of college and the two girls became close. When they were juniors, they had met Sam and Blaine and the four of them began toying with the idea of starting a band.

Here they are, three years later, waiting backstage for their cue to go on stage. She wasn't famous, but she knew that she was on her way. 'The Titans' were gaining popularity locally and they were being asked to play small festivals and parties more often than any other band she knew of.

They were going to make it. She had no doubts about that.

She took the stage, her fellow band mates close behind her, while the festival crowd applauded politely. She took her spot behind the microphone as the band began to play the opening notes to one of The Titans original songs.

_Come out of the shadow_

_Step into the light  
This could be the moment  
Are you ready to fight?..._

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Finn Hudson smiled as he watched his best friend Noah Puckerman (Puck, as he liked to be called) bounce around, excitedly pointing out scantily clad women wearing short shorts and tank tops. There were plenty of them. Finn didn't mind looking, in fact, he quite enjoyed it, but unlike his friend, he had no intention of hooking up with any of them. He just couldn't bring himself to take home a different random woman every night.

They were currently walking around a large outdoor festival of sorts. There were a few carnival games and rides, a Ferris wheel, some food booths scattered around a large grassy area outside of the city. Most of the carnival games were rigged and the food was all deep fried, but there was a small stage set up in the center of it all.

That's why they were here. The music.

He and Puck had always enjoyed listening to live music and they had found small festivals to be some of the best places to find it. The acts were often talented and largely unknown, giving them a musical head start if any of the groups ever got famous. Finn enjoyed sharing the usually unheard music they found and Puck wanted a chance to say that he had been with famous musicians before they were famous.

They had been at the festival most of the day and for the most part, the bands that had been on so far, had not been great. Puck was ready to call it a day and pick out a lady friend to call his own but Finn insisted that he could wait. There was only one group left anyway.

"This place is loaded with hotties; I told you LA was the place to be." Puck said while pointing at a small group of half-naked girls.

Finn chuckled, "Dude, stop pointing! I see them. Pay attention, they are about to go on stage." Finn stretched his legs out on the patch of grass they had claimed as their spot several hours ago. It was towards the back of the available seating area and mostly out of the way of the heavy traffic flow so that they would be able to watch and listen with minimal interruption.

"What's the name of this group?" Puck asked as he sat next to Finn in the grass.

Finn looked at the schedule. "Uh, it says 'The Titans'" The crowd began to applause politely almost as soon as Finn said their name.

Puck dug in the small cooler that was sitting next to him and pulled out the last two cans of cheap beer. He tossed one to Finn and cracked open his own. "Here's hoping they don't suck." Puck held the can out to Finn, who bumped it with his own, and they took a sip as the band took the stage.

The two men shared a look when they saw the group enter the stage. The Titans had some good looking musicians.

"That one," Puck declared, pointing at the stage. "The blonde. She is coming home with me tonight."

Finn snorted. "Good luck with that buddy." Puck was always saying things like that, though it rarely ever worked out that way. Before he was able to say anything about it though, the lead singer's powerful voice began to echo around them festival grounds. Finn watched in complete awe as the stunning brunette took control of the stage. She worked the stage like a pro and her voice was exquisite. She had long dark brown hair that had a slight curl to it. Her bright blue shirt had a peek-a-boo cutout just below the neckline, revealing just the right amount of cleavage, and was tucked into a pair of short shorts. Between the bottom of the skirt and the top of the black calf high boots, her legs seemed to go on forever. Finn liked what he saw, but he liked what he heard even more. "Whoa. They are good."

"They are. And they aren't ugly either."

"Definitely not," Finn agreed.

They watched as the band played song after song, making sure to show appreciation for each song. Each of the men found that they sat a little taller as the lead singer introduced each member of the band, letting each one take a turn to show off a little when their name was announced.

"Put your hands together for Sam, on lead guitar!" The brunette announced, pausing to let the crowd cheer him on as he played a short solo. When he was finished, she turned her attention to the keyboard player and gestured to the curly haired man, "Blaine on keyboard!" She paused for his turn and then gestured to the gorgeous, sultry Latina on the other side of the stage, "Santana on bass guitar!" The clapping gave way to cat calls and whistles as the crowd cheered on the woman. Giggling at the typical reaction to the bombshell, the lead turned her attention to the drummer, "Our drummer, Brian!" The light haired man began pounding away on the drums as the crowd continued their clapping. "Let's hear it for Mercedes and Quinn, my amazing back-up singers." The crowd clapped again and the lead singer took her spot back in the center of the stage as the band began the final song of the day. "I am Rachel and we are 'The Titans,' thank you all for coming out today. Come see us again."

The girl, Rachel, began bouncing around the stage as they played their high energy last song. When the song finished, both Finn and Puck stood as the band exited the stage. "Let's go get a corndog, I'm starving."

"Sounds good." Finn put his hands in his pockets while Puck grabbed the cooler and they made their way through the booths to find some food. "That last group was good. I think they have a shot at makin' it."

Puck looked over at his friend. "Yeah, they had a good sound," he agreed, "And that back-up singer definitely has a shot at making it with the Puckasuaraus." Finn was laughing as they stopped in front of a make-shift booth and ordered a couple corndogs each and then found a vacant table. They only managed a few bites before Puck let out a low whistle. "Damn. Come on, Huddy. There are two very hot chicks looking to go home with us." Finn looked up from his corndog to look in the direction Puck was not-so-subtly hinting at while Puck was already cleaning up his mess.

"I'll pass."

"What the hell? Those chicks are hot." Finn shook his head and Puck stood, ready to go after his prey. "Fine then, more for me." He shoved the ice chest towards Finn and turned to leave. "Don't wait up."

"Great," Finn mumbled.

His friend always did this to him. Finn finished his corndog and picked up the small cooler. He walked around the booths, looked at the ride options and decided to call it a day; it was hot and he needed a shower. He walked to the parking area, passing by where the port-a-potties were lined up just outside the main area. He shook his head as he passed the long lines of people waiting for a turn. He never understood why people lined up to go in those things. They are nasty and he could find a dozen better places to use the restroom on the way home.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw a familiar brunette waiting in the horrendous line. She was shorter that he thought, of course he could only see her from a distance and she was on the stage, but it was definitely her. She was bouncing and shifting her weight from one knee to the other, it looked like she was dancing in her place in line. She must really have to go. Before he could think about it, his feet had taken him to where he was standing close behind her. Finn let out a breath and tapped the girl on the shoulder. "Ex-excuse me?" The girl whipped around, seemingly startled. "Rachel, right?"

"Um, yes. I'm Rachel Berry."

Finn rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and looked down at the ground. "Uh, hi. I, uh, saw you guys on stage. You were really good."

"Thank you, um…"

"Oh. Uh, Finn. My name is Finn Hudson."

She hesitantly smiled and held out her hand for him. "Well, Finn. It's always nice to meet a fan."

Finn took the offered hand in his, slowly moving it up and down. "It's nice to meet you too." The line moved forward ever so slightly and both Finn and Rachel seemed to realize the awkwardness of meeting new people in line for the restroom. Finn reluctantly released her hand, immediately missing her delicate touch. "Well, I'll leave you alone. You really are good. I hope I can see you perform again."

"I hope so too." He turned away from her, making his way past the ever growing line. Seriously, don't these people know how gross those things can be?

The small cooler, though mostly empty now, was weighing heavily on his arm as he made his way to his truck in slow strides. In the short walk, he had gone over the meeting with Rachel several times. No wonder he was going home alone. He had zero game when it came to women. He placed the cooler in the back and looked up just in time to see Rachel walking into the parking area; his hand slapped down on the roof of the vehicle in determination and he ran over to her. He stood in front of her slightly breathless and dumbfounded. Now what?

He saw the confusion swirling in her head. A man she met outside the port-a-potty not long ago was standing in front of her like he had something to say, but yet, he was completely silent. Smooth Hudson.

Naturally, he did the most irrational thing he could think of. He kissed her. Full on the mouth, with every bit of passion he had felt since seeing her on the stage. For the record, he felt a lot of passion.

Surprisingly, she didn't push him away or hit him. She was kissing him back. He kissed her for a few moments, until he needed to refill his lungs with air and then took a step back. "Sorry, I don't know what got into me. I just had to kiss you."

This is the part when he expected her to kick him in the chin and run off to find security. What he didn't expect was for her tiny hands to take hold of his collar and pull him in for another kiss. It was just as passionate as the first, and he returned it eagerly.

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**A/N- There you have it, chapter one. Over all we are looking at six or so chapters, so this is just the beginning. Reviews make me feel warm and fuzzy. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- Wow. You guys sure know how to make a girl feel loved. Thank you for all the reviews/alerts/favorites on this. Thanks again to RedAmbition, for basically everything. Her stories are awesome, check them out! I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**As always, I do not own Glee, its characters, or any of the music used. **

* * *

Rachel opened eyes, blinking them a few times to adjust to the light in her room. Wait a minute. She suddenly became aware of the extra weight resting across her chest and remembered that she was not in her room, she was in Finn's.

She mentally kicked herself. Sure, Finn was gorgeous and sweet and she couldn't help the way she felt when he first took her hand. It didn't matter that she had been waiting in line for the port-a-potty (which was extra gross, by the way) when they met. All she knew is that when his brown eyes looked onto her own, she was smitten and any resolve she had a chance of using flew out the window when he kissed her.

When she and her friends had formed the band, Rachel promised herself that she would not give into groupies. Though, honestly, she never expected any. She also never expected Finn. It still does not excuse her behavior last night. Finn is a fan, a very sexy, very charming, very good with his hands fan; but still a fan. Last night was a mistake. She could not be the girl who goes home with every fan who flashes her a dimpled smile after a show. Not even when he was as good looking as Finn. She had to get out of here, preferably before her naked companion woke up.

Rachel looked at the still sleeping mess of brown hair beside her and carefully lifted the arm currently resting over her bare chest. She scooted a little at a time until she was able to successfully extricate herself from Finn's bed, sitting quietly on the floor while her eyes searched the room for her clothes. Crawling around on the floor, she began picking up her clothing one by one, putting on each piece as she found them. Once dressed, she held her boots and her purse in her hand and stood, letting her eyes scan the room one last time for anything she may have missed. Her eyes fell on the handsome man sleeping peacefully; she felt a pang in her heart and found herself needing to touch him one last time.

Deciding to risk it, she crossed the small room and placed a feather light kiss to his head then left his modest apartment in silence.

Twenty minutes later, she pushed her key into the lock of the two bedroom apartment she shared with Santana. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open; hoping her roommate was still asleep or had plans and was already out for the day.

No such luck.

"Well, well, well, I never thought I would see Rachel Berry doing the walk of shame."

Rachel tossed her purse onto the side table and sighed. "Can we just… not do this right now, Santana?"

"Oh. We are doing this, Midget. I've waited a long time for this." The girl sat a little taller in her chair and crossed her arms across her chest. "So? What happened to the 'I'm not going to have sex with groupies' rule?" Her eyebrow arched up and completely fit with the smirk she was wearing.

Rachel dropped onto the sofa next to her friend and crossed her arm over her eyes. "It wasn't like that."

"So you didn't leave the festival with somebody last night? You texted me, remember? I know you left with a guy and you didn't come home last night."

Dang her responsible nature. She had texted Santana last night when she left the festival with Finn. She didn't want her to worry. "I did. But it wasn't like that."

Santana leaned closer to Rachel, eager to hear the details. "Was it terrible? Did the guy not deliver?"

Rachel moved her arm and sat up quickly. "No! He delivered. It was amazing! He was amazing."

"Really?"

"Really." Rachel realized that her friend was going to find out the whole story no matter how much she didn't want to tell her; she may as well get it over with. A small smile appeared on Rachel's lips. "San, it was the best sex I've ever had in my life. It was incredible."

Santana smiled widely, happy to be getting the details. "How did you even meet him? When you left us, you said you were going to the restroom."

"He came up to me while I was in line."

Santana held a hand up. "Hold up. You met the best lay of your life while you were in line to pee?" She laughed when Rachel nodded once. "Oh this is good. Continue."

"I don't have to tell you, you know. If you are just going to laugh at me, I'm not going to."

She stopped laughing and tried to compose herself. "Yes you will. You have to tell somebody, now spill."

Rachel fidgeted with the hem of her skirt and continued her story. "I hate how well you know me." She took a deep breath. "He introduced himself and said that he saw us perform and he really liked it then he left and I used the restroom. After I finished, I went out to meet you guys at the van and he ran up to me." Rachel focused on her skirt and fought a smile. "He kissed me."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," she confirmed. "When he started to leave, I decided I wasn't ready to be done kissing him, so I kissed him a second time." Rachel shrugged and lifted her gaze up to see the look of shock on her friend's face. "He ignited something in me and I didn't want that to be the end, so I suggested that we go back to his place."

"What! This was your idea?" Santana placed a hand over her heart. "I'm so proud right now. Go on."

Despite her inner turmoil, Rachel let out a small giggle. "We went back to his place, and, you know. It was mind blowing, but it can never happen again. I can't just leave every show with a different random guy. That's not me."

"Believe me, I know this is not you. I think this was good for you, believe it or not. You needed to let your hair down and get a little freaky. Now you have it out of your system and you can enjoy yourself a little more." Santana leaned over and hugged her friend. "Or you can tap every groupie you come across."

Rachel leaned back and swatted at Santana's shoulder playfully. "Santana!"

"Up to you. Now go shower, you smell like deep fried sex."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Again. Let's run it again."

The group let out a collective groan, but it was the drummer who spoke up, "Rachel, we have already played this same song four times. It's fine!"

"Fine? Fine?" Rachel's voice was high pitched and her hands rested on her hips. "We are not trying to be _fine_ Brian. We are trying to be excellent. I won't settle for anything less." She stomped her foot, making sure he understood how serious she was.

The middle aged man stood grasping his drum sticks tightly in his fist. "You are insane Rachel, and you are being a real bitch."

Sensing a poor outcome, Sam Evans took a step towards Rachel and placed a hand gently on her forearm. "Whoa whoa whoa, hey guys. How about we settle down? Come on we have a show next weekend."

Rachel shook Sam's hand off her arm and took a step closer to the drum kit with her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Brian lifted a small briefcase from the floor behind his stool and hastily shoved his drum sticks inside. "You know what? I don't even need this. I'm done." He threw the bag over his shoulder and walked out from behind the drum set.

"What do you mean, you're 'done?'"

Brian stood in front of her, smirking. "Just what it sounds like, Rachel. I don't have to be here. My cousin is looking for a new drummer anyway. I'm out." He took a few large steps towards the door as the other band members watched in shock.

"Brian! You can't just leave us. What are we going to do without a drummer?" Blaine was borderline panicking. They had a gig next week. They didn't have time to find a new drummer and teach him all their songs. It didn't matter who was right and who was wrong, they needed a drummer.

"Not my problem. I'm out." He made his way to the door, pushing it open angrily.

Rachel stomped her foot one last time, her arms crossing over her chest. "Brian Jones, if you leave this room, you are done here."

He took one last look back to scan the room. He noticed his friends and _former_ band mates watching him intently with mixed looks of surprise and hope. He just couldn't work with her anymore; he pushed the door again and walked out.

The heavy door slammed behind the man, causing a few of the remaining people in the room to flinch. "Now what do we do, Berry?" Santana questioned.

"We can just call Artie, I'm sure he'll know somebody." Rachel sighed and pulled out her phone so she could call the bands manager. Artie always seemed to know just who to call. That's why they hired him.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Will Schuester leaned closer to the microphone on the table in front of him and pushed the button to activate it. "Can you go over the chorus one more time? I think we almost have it."

"Sure thing, Will." From his seat behind the drums, Finn looked through the window at his boss. He lifted his red drum sticks and when Will gave him the signal, he began to play the chorus of the song they had been working on.

Puck had mentioned wanting to move to LA so that he could expand his pool cleaning business since he and Finn were in high school. And he had asked Finn to come with him at least once a year; it wasn't until Finn had graduated college with a degree in business that he had finally agreed. He and Puck packed up their stuff and drove across two-thirds of the country to their new home.

He knew that a degree in business was practical, but his minor in music is what he really wanted to pursue. He had heard that his former Glee club director was working in a recording studio now and he was able to get a job as a studio drummer as soon as they were settled in the city. The pay wasn't bad, the hours were good, and he already had a working relationship with his boss. Puck was doing well with his own business; overall, life in LA was good.

Finn finished the section and sat in silence, waiting to see if he had done it the way Will had wanted. "Thank was great, Finn. Take five. I have a call that I need to return." Finn nodded once to let the man know that he heard him and Will brought the phone to his ear. "Hey Artie. Sorry I missed your call, what can I help you with?"

_"__Hey Will. We had a drummer quit this morning. I was hoping you knew of someone." _

Will leaned back in his chair, a small smile on his lips. He had a feeling that he knew exactly what had happened. "I might. What happened?"

_"__Rachel wanted perfection, as usual, and Brian couldn't take it anymore."_

Will chuckled, "That's surprising." He had worked with Rachel before. He really liked the girl, but not everybody was able to work with her.

_"__It's surprising that Rachel wanted perfection and somebody quit because of it?" Artie asked._

Will laughed again. "No. It's surprising that it was Brian who quit first. My money was on Santana."

_"__I thought it would be Quinn." He quipped._

Will sat up in his chair and noticed Finn pounding at the drums intently. He smiled as the idea came to him. "I think I have the perfect fit for you guys. He moved here a few months ago from Ohio, he's been working in the studio with me. I'll see if he's interested."

_"__Thanks, Will. Say 'what's up' to the wife and kids for me."_

"Will do. I'll let you know." Will ended the call and walked into the studio where Finn was. "Hey, Finn, I just got a call asking if I knew of any available drummers for a local band. You interested?"

His interest piqued, he looked up at his friend and boss. "I might be. What's up with them?"

"They are mostly local, but they are starting to pick up steam. Been doing a mix of covers and some original stuff and playing some festivals and small shows all over southern California. I think they have what it takes to make it big, but they can't do that without a drummer. So, what do you say?"

Finn rested his elbows onto his knees and leaned closer to the man. "What happened to the old drummer?"

"He quit this morning. He didn't get along well with the lead singer."

A small smile played on his lips and his eyebrow arched up slightly. "Should I be worried?" Finn asked.

Will chuckled. "I don't think so. She can be a bit of a perfectionist, but she's not so bad. She is definitely talented."

"Sure, I'll check it out."

He stood and walked to the door. "Great, I'll call Artie, their manager, and let him know. I'll send you the details on the next rehearsal after I talk to him."

"Awesome." The older man had turned the knob on the door of the sound proof room and Finn readied his drum sticks. It was then that it occurred to him that he should probably know the name of the band he had just joined. "Hey Will, what's the name of the band anyway?"

"The Titans," Will shut the door behind him, leaving Finn alone in the studio once again.

He gulped; well, at least he knew he could get along with the lead singer.

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**A/N- There you have it! Should I run away and hide now? The next chapter should be posted in a couple days. Reviews make my heart happy. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- I hope you are still enjoying this! RedAmbition is still awesome, I still thank you, and you guys are awesome. **

**I still do not own Glee, it's characters or any of the music used. This is purely for fun.**

* * *

Finn happily entered the apartment he shared with his best friend. He was whistling as he threw his back pack on one of the dining room chairs and plopped on the sofa next to Puck.

"Why the hell are you so happy?"

Finn smiled widely at his friend and leaned back on the couch, lifting his feet to rest on the coffee table. "I kinda joined a band today."

"Really? I thought you were at the studio today? How did you manage to join a band?" Puck had shifted so he was facing Finn a little better.

He shrugged. "Will got a call that a band needed a drummer and he recommended me. Right place right time."

"Anybody we have heard of?"

Finn planted his feet on the floor and sent his friend a knowing smile. "The Titans"

"Why do I know that name?" Finn just watched as Puck searched his memory. Suddenly, he smiled and sat up straight. "Wait a minute. Isn't that the band we saw at the grassy field about a month ago?" He cocked his head, seemingly remembering another detail. "Didn't you bone the lead singer?" Finn punched him on the shoulder. "What? You did. Now you are going to be working with her? Won't that be awkward?"

Finn shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not even sure if she remembers me. All I know is that they were good and I'm now their drummer. I'm supposed to be at their rehearsal tomorrow and they have a gig next weekend."

"Didn't you say you picked her up outside the port-o-potties?" Finn nodded. "I'm sure she remembers you." Puck laughed. "I wish I could see he face when you show up there tomorrow."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"When did you tell him to be here?"

Artie casually rolled over to the side of the room; he was secretly enjoying seeing Rachel so frazzled. Ever since Brian had quit, Rachel had been in a panic. They had a show next week and she was freaking out over whether or not the new guy would be able to keep up with them after only a week. "I told him to be here when rehearsal starts." He teased.

"Very Funny."

Artie smiled widely, again rolling his wheelchair across the room. "I thought so."

"Rachel, could you just go easy on this guy? We need him." Sam stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. Hoping she understood.

Rachel's jaw dropped slightly. She knew she could be a pain to work with, but she was the lead in this band and she was not going to sacrifice their shot for a subpar drummer. "It's not my fault Brian couldn't handle working with me."

"Actually…" Quinn started.

Blaine stepped forward, hoping to put an end to an argument before it started. "Don't."

"Don't what?" Quinn questioned innocently.

Artie rolled past her, amused. "Don't rile up Berry. We need her to place nice."

"Hey!" Rachel crossed her arms in front of her. She wasn't really mad, she just enjoyed teasing them. "When is this guy going to be here?"

"Now."

The room suddenly turned their attention to the new voice and Rachel's eyes widened in shock. "Finn?"

Santana snapped her attention away from the newcomer to her friend. "Finn?" She asked. Santana had heard that name more than a few times since Rachel had come home early in the morning over a month ago.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked.

Well, she definitely remembered him. "Will said you needed a drummer and-" he shrugged, "I'm a drummer."

Surprised that Rachel had apparently met Finn before, Artie moved in front of Finn and held his hand out to him. "Thanks for being here on such short notice. I'm Artie, the bands manager."

"It was no problem. I'm happy to help." Finn replied, shaking Artie's hand. His gaze wandered to the center of the room where Rachel was staring at him.

Artie turned to the rest of the band. "Guys, this is Finn. Finn, this is Blaine," he started, gesturing to each of the band members as he introduced them. "Santana, Sam, Mercedes, Quinn, and I guess you already know Rachel."

Finn's lip quirked itself into a half smile as his eyes connected with Rachel's. "We've met."

"Excellent. I'll show you around the space real quick."

"This cannot be happening right now." Rachel placed her face in her hands as soon as Artie and Finn left the room.

Santana crossed her arms over her chest and watched as the rest of the band mingled around the space. She had no idea if Rachel had told anybody else about what had happened between her and Finn. She didn't want to spill Rachel's secret, despite being extremely pleased with this turn of events. Giving Rachel a hard time was one of Santana's favorite things ever. "That's Finn? THE Finn? Port-a-potty Finn?"

"I can't believe this is happening."

Santana let out a laugh and Rachel pulled her hands away from her face. "Me either. This is better than anything I could have come up with to torture you with."

"Will you stop, San? What am I going to do?"

"You are going to sing. That's it. You are a professional and you can get through this. Don't get me wrong, Berry. I am going to give you endless amounts of shit for this, because, let's face it, that's what I do. But you are going to be fine. You will sing and sound amazing no matter how badly you want to jump his bones. In fact, it might even help you."

Rachel gasped. "I do not want to jump his bones."

"Yes you do. I saw the way you looked at him. It doesn't matter anyway. We have a show and a new drummer. Practice is first."

"Rachel?"

Both Rachel and Santana were surprised to see that Finn had come back into the room and was now standing in front of them. "I'm going to get everybody ready. You kids play nice." Santana smirked at Finn and sauntered away, leaving Rachel and Finn alone.

"Hello Finn." She said shakily.

"This is awkward, huh?"

"Slightly. But we will move past it." Rachel stood taller and squared her shoulders. "I didn't know you were a drummer."

Finn put his hands in his front pockets and shrugged. "We didn't exactly do a lot of talking the first time we met."

Rachel's cheeks flushed at the memory of what exactly they did do the first time they met and she shook her head clear of the memory. "About that. I don't usually do that sort of thing and it definitely can't happen again."

"I know." Finn did know, but that didn't mean he agreed. He sensed that she was the type of girl to keep working relationships strictly professional and he fully respected that.

"You do?" She didn't intend to sound so surprised, it just kind of came out that way.

Finn smiled. It was good to know the attraction wasn't one sided, despite her efforts to make it appear so. "I do. We have to work together. We need to keep it professional, right?"

"Right."

Did she sound disappointed? "That doesn't mean that we can't be friends though. You're cool Rachel." Finn looked over to where the band was set up and waiting for them, "I was able to practice your music a little yesterday; are you ready to get started?"

"Yes. Let's go." Rachel and Finn walked to the rest of the group, ready to start their first rehearsal. "Are you guys ready?"

Santana smirked at her friend. "Are you?"

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Oh my gosh, you guys! That was invigorating! It went so well!" Rachel bounced over to Santana, happy that their first gig after replacing their drummer had gone exceptionally well. Even though practices had gone well over the last week, Rachel was always worried that something would go wrong when they were in front of an audience.

Santana looked around at the other band members, spotting Finn by where some festival goers would gather. He was talking to a tall, busty blonde in a bikini who was obviously flirting with him. Santana could spot her type a mile away. They wore very little clothing and flirted with whichever member of the band they could catch the attention of to get better access at the festival. Even still, Santana knew that sometimes the groupies were good for _stress relief_. She smirked and nudged Rachel, nodding in the direction of Finn and the tramp. "Looks like Finnegan is enjoying the groupies."

Rachel's attention quickly turned to where Finn was standing with the girl. She watched as the girl placed her hand on his shoulder then rubbed her hand down to his bicep. Groupies. Rachel watched the interaction with an interest she didn't even know she had.

"So you are the drummer, huh?" The busty blonde asked, her voice sickeningly sweet. Her hand was resting on his bicep and he nodded. "You were really great up there."

Finn looked around, amused with the situation. "Uh, thanks."

"Have you been drumming long?" She asked.

He nodded, "Since I was a kid."

Her hand squeezed his arm. "It shows; you are so strong."

Finn discretely rolled his eyes. He had been in a couple bands before, he knew what this girl was doing and he wasn't interested. He tried to be as nice as possible; just because he didn't want to take the girl home, doesn't mean he can't be nice to her. Without the fans, there was no show, Finn knew that. "Uh, thanks."

"Could I get your autograph?"

Finn smiled, "Sure." The already barely dressed woman somehow produced a black marker and slyly pulled her bikini top to the side, revealing even more of her breast. She poked her chest out and Finn shook his head. "What's your name?"

"Tessa," she said seductively, batting her eyelashes wildly.

Finn took a small step towards her and took the marker. _Tessa, keep rockin' –Finn_. "There you go. Here is your marker back." He took a step back from her. "Thank you for coming to the show. Maybe we will see you at the next one."

She discretely trailed her finger across the top of her bikini top and bit her lower lip. "You will." Her tone was flirty and hopeful.

He took another step back and raised his hand in a polite wave then turned around shaking his head. He couldn't help but smile. He always got a kick out of the way some of these girls would act around him. He buried his hands in his front pockets and looked up just in time to catch Rachel's disapproving stare. "Hey," he said simply.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

Rachel placed her hands on her hips. "You know what, Finn. You just signed that girl's chest."

"Tessa is a fan who asked me for an autograph. I was simply doing something nice for a fan." he shrugged.

"Tessa? She sounds like a hoe." Rachel huffed.

Finn crossed his arms across his chest. "A hoe? You don't even know her."

"She was hardly wearing any clothes and blatantly hitting on you. She had you sign her chest, Finn." For some reason, it bothered her that Finn was getting so much attention.

"And…"

She let out a long sigh. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

Finn took a step closer to the petite brunette and placed his hands on her shoulders. His lips turned up into a half smile. "Why, Rachel Berry, are you jealous?"

"Jealous? No. I'm not jealous." She said the words; she said them like she meant them. Finn didn't believe her.

"You are." He shook her shoulders slightly. "It's ok. I think it's adorable." He let go and stepped back slightly, still smiling. After working with Rachel for a week, he quickly figured out how much fun it was to rile Rachel up.

It was clear to him that their tryst had meant more to both of them than they had dared say out loud. He knew how he felt about it, the way he felt whenever he heard her sing or when they touched. Finn thought he had figured out how she felt about it, too. He caught her staring at him more than once and now it appeared that she was jealous. Now he just had to wait it out until one of them admitted to it. Until then, there was no harm in having a little fun.

Rachel stomped her foot and took a step closer to him. She looked up at him and glared. "Finn Hudson, I am not jealous."

He held his hands up to the side, careful not to hit Rachel who was now in his personal space. "Fine, fine, whatever you say. You aren't jealous."

"I know I'm not." Her anger had caused her to invade his space and now her face was dangerously close to his.

He let out a ragged breath. "I know you're not." He leaned down just a little further, so close their noses were almost touching.

"I'm not." She rose slightly on her toes, they were impossibly close now.

"Finn, Rachel, you guys ready."

Sam's voice pulled them both out of their shared spell and they jumped apart in a hurry. Finn watched her face flush and smirked. His eyes stayed on her as he spoke to Sam. "Yeah man. We are ready."

* * *

**A/N- Well, there you have it! I hope it was worth the wait. I should be updating this every other day until it is complete (about 7 chapters). Reviews make my heart smile.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Seriously, thank you guys for all the kind words. It makes me so happy that you are all enjoying this! I have finished writing all of this story, and I hope you are not disappointed that this will be eight chapters total. A note about this chapter: There were two scenes that I knew were going to be apart of this story from the very beginning. One is included here and I hope you enjoy it. Again, RedAmbition rocks my socks and you should read her stuff. It's delightful. **

**I do not own Glee, it's characters, or any of the awesome music used. This is purely for fun.**

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Rachel sipped from her drink while her eyes scanned the room where several of her friends were dancing and drinking happily. Quinn had decided that since they had a weekend off, they should throw a party that they could enjoy from the crowd instead of watching from the stage. Despite the relatively short notice, the modest house had people everywhere, most of which she did not know. The living room was being used as a makeshift dance floor and the alcohol had been flowing freely for an hour or so.

Even through the packed room, Rachel was able to notice Finn standing across the room. She could see his gorgeous brown eyes and crooked smile and even though the light blue button down hugged his shoulders beautifully, she would not be lured in by his charm.

Again.

She frowned when she saw that he was talking to three or so attractive women. What was it about him that had all the women flocking to him? She sighed when she realized that she knew exactly what they were flocking to, _she_ had been one of those women. She turned to Blaine, "Why is Finn so…"

Blaine followed her gaze to see watching Finn conversing politely while a few women were shamelessly flirting with him. "Cute, hunky, dreamy, irresistible?" He offered, knowing she was harboring a crush for the new drummer.

"No, Blaine, Finn is none of those things."

He crossed his arms and looked at her knowingly. "Your mouth may say that, but your eyes disagree."

"He's just so… frustrating." Though Rachel was holding a conversation with Blaine, her eyes never left Finn. She was watching as one of the girls around him laughed exaggeratedly, throwing her arm up to rest on his shoulder. She rolled her eyes at the woman's obviousness.

Blaine watched her stare at the scene on the other end of the room. "Why? Because he is flirting with those girls instead of you."

Rachel's full attention immediately turned to Blaine. "What! No!" Rachel had decided that it was best not to reveal to the rest of the band that she and Finn had slept together before he joined the band. Santana had assured her that she had told no one and Finn had also agreed not to say anything. As far as she knew, nobody but Santana knew all the detail about the night she met Finn, so why did she get the feeling Blaine knew more than he was letting on?

"Rachel, it's obvious you have some sort of crush on him." Oh, That's what he knew.

"I do not." Even as she spoke, her eyes once again found Finn.

Blaine put a hand on Rachel's shoulder as he began to dance to the music that had now filled the space. "You do. Actually, it's nice to see you getting along with our drummer for a change."

"Brian and I got along just fine."

He stepped back, his feet dancing along with the beat while his hands and arms flailed slightly. It was becoming clear to himself and to Rachel that his body was taking him away from this conversation. "Whatever you say. You should go talk to him."

"I'll do no such thing."

Blaine smiled; he was used to her stubbornness. "Suit yourself. I'm going to go out on the dance floor and mingle. In case you have forgotten, this is a party."

Rachel watched her curly haired friend dance his way into a group of strangers, smiling slightly at his antics. She brought her drink to her lips only to realize that it was empty and she made her way across the room for another. She had just twisted off the cap of her fresh drink when a familiar face moved to block her path. "Hello, Finn." She looked past him to see the girls he had been conversing with before. She noticed that even though he had moved away from them, they were still steeling glances at him. She turned her to him long enough to raise an eyebrow at him. "Having fun?" She didn't even give him time to answer before she was watching the ogling women again.

"Hey, Rach," he greeted. "Yeah, I'm having fun. How about you?"

Rachel tore her eyes away from the women and pasted on a smile. "It's a party; of course I'm having fun."

"You sure?" Finn looked around the room then locked eyes with her, concern shining in his eyes. "It looked like you were upset about something before, when you were talking to Blaine."

Why does he have to read her so well? Rachel debated the best way to handle his observation, ultimately deciding that avoidance was the best option. "Were you watching me, Finn Hudson?"

"Maybe."

Oh God. How is it possible for one crooked smile to completely turn her into a mess? "Why?"

"Why not," he countered. He was still smiling as he leaned in a little closer to her.

The close proximity was doing things to Rachel. She had to stop allowing him to flirt with her, more importantly; she needed to stop flirting with _him_. For some reason, her Finn-fogged brain decided that dancing with him in a crowded room was the best way to move forward. She grabbed him by the forearm dragging him behind her. "Come on. Let's dance." She placed her drink down as they passed a table littered with several drinks and, despite his confusion, Finn did the same.

He pulled back slightly, resisting her when he realized what she was suggesting. "Whoa. You know I don't dance."

She stopped and looked at him for only a second before she nodded her head once in determination and tugged on his arm once again. "You do tonight."

Once on the dance floor, Rachel led Finn in several dances. Finn had maintained that he did not dance, but he allowed Rachel to hold him on the dance floor through a few fast songs and two slow ones. Eventually, though, he needed a drink and that seemed as good a reason as any not to dance anymore. He took Rachel by the elbow and led her over to get fresh drinks and they made their way into the surprisingly spacious back yard for some fresh air.

Rachel took a sip of her drink and pushed her slightly damp hair away from her face. "I don't know why you say you can't dance, Finn. You can dance fine."

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Did you forget that I stepped on your feet in there?" He took a swig from the bottle he had and held up two fingers. "Twice."

She smiled, shrugging slightly. "It's not a big deal. It was really crowded in there."

"I'm still sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you."

She held up one of her feet and wiggled it around to show her still intact foot. "See? It's fine. It's not like you meant to anyway."

"How do you know, maybe I did do it on purpose." He teased.

A bubble of laughter escaped Rachel. "You are a goofball." They both sipped from their drinks as the laughter gave way to a comfortable silence. After a few moments of silence, Rachel turned her attention back to Finn. "I'm glad you are here. I know it was a little awkward having to work together after… well, you know."

"We had sex?"

"Finn!" Her cheeks pinked immediately.

He shrugged, trying not to laugh. "What? Isn't that what happened?"

She took a small sip from her drink hoping to regain her composure. "Well, yes." Rachel took in a deep breath. "Despite that, I'm glad you joined us. You are very talented."

"You think so?"

She nodded. "I would know, I'm talented too."

He chuckled. "I'm glad I'm here too, Rach." Finn took a slow deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I don't regret it, you know." He wasn't looking at her, instead focusing on a tree at the back of the yard.

She wasn't sure she had heard him correctly or understood what exactly he was referring to. "What?"

"That we slept together when we first met, I don't regret it."

Rachel thought about it. Even though one night stands were not something she had ever done before, and she had no plans to do again, she knew that she didn't regret it either. "Me neither."

He turned to face her questioningly; his voice was soft and full of hope, "Really?"

"Really. You are a wonderful person and a good friend. I'm glad we can move past the fact that we have both seen each other naked so that we can work together amicably."

Finn smirked at her, "It's one of my favorite things about you."

"Ahh! Finn, you are disgusting." Her tone led him to believe that she was outraged, but the small smile playing on her lips gave her away as she swatted his shoulder playfully. "I'm going back inside."

"See you later, Rach." He chuckled. He admired the view as her hips swayed back and forth while she made her way into the house once again.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"That was better. Let's go to the next one. This is a big show and we must be prepared."

Santana rolled her eyes and adjusted the guitar on her shoulder and Sam began to play the opening guitar notes of the next song.

Rachel took a small step to the microphone, wrapping her hand around it as she begun to sing the words.

_If I came to you empty handed_

_A barren ocean with nothing at all_

_And if I came to you empty hearted_

_Searching for pieces after the fall_

Finn was mesmerized as he watched her sing from his spot behind the drums. It wasn't the first time they had practiced this song, they had even preformed it in front of a crowd on numerous occasions. It didn't change the way his body reacted every time he heard Rachel sing it, though. He was happy that it wasn't a particularly drum heavy song; it afforded him the opportunity to really listen.

_All I've ever known is how to hide a secret_

_But I'm tired of going on without believing_

_And love is not illusion, love illuminates the blind_

_If I fell into you, would it be close enough?_

_If I finally let you in, would you show me what love is?_

_If I had nothing to give_

Rachel shifted her weight from foot to foot behind the microphone, her hands holding onto the stand, as she danced lightly and the music became more intense. She took in a deep breath ready to start the next verse of the song. She was surprised, however, when her voice was not the only one singing the next few lines.

_If you came to me empty handed_

Rachel turned in her spot, never wavering from the words she knew so well. She saw Finn leaning into the microphone as he played the drums perfectly in time while providing unplanned background vocals.

_I'd bring the ocean to bring you home_

_And if you came to me empty hearted_

_I'd find the pieces to make you whole_

Rachel and the other members were surprised when the heard Finn singing along with their lead singer. This is not the way it had been practiced in the past and although they all kept playing on as if it was normal, they all expected Rachel to have a come apart when they finished. For an unplanned change in the middle of the song, the entire group handled it well. Even though everybody had turned in their spot to gawk at Finn, nobody stopped playing and the song went on as originally planned, with Finn's additions.

_If I fell into you, would it be close enough?_

_If I finally let you in, would you show me what love is?_

_If I had nothing to give_

_If I am a promise, will you let me break again?_

_I will be your compass, I will only let you bend_

_All I've ever known is how to hide a secret_

_But I'm tired of going on without believing_

_And love is not illusion, love illuminates the blind_

He continued singing background strategically, cutting himself in and out during certain points of the song while Mercedes and Quinn provided their own back up as originally intended.

_If I fell into you, would it be close enough?_

_If I finally let you in, would you show me what love is?_

_If I had nothing to give_

_If I had nothing to give_

As soon as the last note was finished Rachel turned in her spot. "What was that, Finn?"

He transferred both of his drumsticks to his left hand and rubbed the back of his neck nervously with his free hand. The others carefully watched on as he answered apologetically. "Sorry. I must have got caught up in the song. It won't happen again."

"You bet your ass you will. That was great!" Blaine came out from behind the keyboard to give Finn a congratulatory handshake.

"Agreed. It sounded great, Finn." Quinn added. She tentatively looked between Rachel and Finn, hoping Rachel would agree that his additions sounded great.

Rachel watched on as the band all offered their support to Finn. She stepped forward. "I didn't know you could sing."

"I'm not sure I can."

Rachel smiled timidly. "You can. That was wonderful, Finn. You sounded amazing."

Santana and Sam shared a look, surprised that Rachel was so easily okay with Finn's unplanned adjustments. "Can you do that in front of an audience?" Sam asked.

Finn shared a small smile with Rachel, then turned his attention to Sam and shrugged. "I think so."

Rachel clapped twice. "Excellent. One more time with Finn singing back up. Come on people big show coming up."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Finn pressed play on the blue iPod he had attached to a set of speakers and the sounds of a single piano filled the rehearsal space. He had been working on a song, coaxing Blaine to record the piano part, so that he could work out the drum part and fix the lyrics by himself. He had already written them and figured out the tune, now he was making slight alterations to make it better.

He began tapping out the rhythm in time with the piano, mumbling the words to himself as if he was testing them out. He realized he wanted to change a particular word in the chorus and stopped to alter the words in his notebook.

"That was great, Finn."

His head snapped up to see Rachel standing in the doorway and he hastily stopped the music flowing through the speakers. "Hey Rach. Sorry, I didn't realize that it was so close to rehearsal."

"It's not." She shook her head. "I'm early and I wanted to go over a few things before rehearsal started." She took a few steps closer to where he was sitting. "But now, I'm more interested in what you were just playing. I didn't recognize it."

"It's no big deal, just something I've been working on."

Rachel placed her purse on the floor out of the way. "Well, it sounded really good. What I heard of it anyway."

"Thanks." He smiled genuinely at her, happy she approved of the song so far.

Rachel ran her finger across his cymbal lightly as she came to a stop in front of the drum set. "Are you going to let me hear the whole thing sometime?"

He flashed her a dimpled smile, more than willing to continue with her flirting. "Maybe."

"What do you mean 'maybe?'" The flirty tone was all but gone.

Finn smiled, he was amused by her sudden change of tone. "It means, I might let you hear it and I might not." He said matter of factly.

"Finn Hudson, you know what I mean. Why are you so frustrating?"

Still smiling, Finn raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't know what you are talking about Rachel. You asked what 'maybe' meant; I simply answered your question."

"You are infuriating." She crossed her arms across her chest and stomped her foot for effect then stepped around to where she was closer to where he was perched on the stool behind the drums.

He turned so that he was facing her in her new spot behind his drum kit. "How?" he challenged.

Their eyes locked, holding them both hostage with the intensity of the shared gaze. Rachel let out a defeated, possibly unladylike, groan as she dropped her arms and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she connected her lips to his in a passionate and frantic kiss. He immediately placed both of his hands on her hips, gripping her tightly and pulling her closer to him.

He had been patiently waiting to feel her lips against his since she had left his apartment very early the morning after they first met. They were addictive and he reveled in the feeling of her body so close to his once again.

She stood between his legs kissing him like her life depended on it when she felt something hard pressing against her thigh. Something that wasn't there a moment ago. Through her Finn-fog, her mind deduced what it could be and she panicked. She worked with this man; she couldn't do this with him. Whatever 'this' was. Despite the chemistry they shared, she could not let her attraction for him interfere with the band. She pulled back suddenly, taking a quick moment to apologize with her eyes before turning suddenly and running out of the room.

Finn sat on the stool in shock. That kiss had left him breathless and wanting more and she ran away. He knew they shared an attraction for one another, if that kiss was any indication; she just needed to give into it. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes attempting to regain control of his body.

"Geez, Frankenteen, what did you do to Berry?"

His eyes immediately found the tall Latina standing only a few feet back from where Rachel had been only a minute ago. Unfortunately, his brain was still clouded with how he felt when she had kissed him and the best response he could give Santana was, "Huh?"

Santana watched a dumbfounded Finn in amusement, her eyes giving him a once over. She crossed her arms and settled her focus on his crotch. "I'm flattered, Doughboy, but you're not really my type."

"What?" He was confused at what she was referring to, but only for a minute. He quickly realized what she was referring to. "Oh crap." He turned on the stool to hide himself from her.

Santana was largely unfazed by his sudden embarrassment. "Let me break it down for you, Gigantor. You are sporting wood and a very unflattering shade of lipstick and Rachel just ran past me like she saw a monster." She paused, glancing knowingly at his zipper. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." He stood and ran a hand through his already messy brown hair. "I don't think. I don't know."

She watched as he paced in the space beside the drums. "Stop. I know you like her. She likes you too." Finn couldn't help the small that formed; at least he wasn't imagining it. Santana thrust a finger in his face. "When she figures that out and you two decide to gross the rest of us out with your couple weirdness, remember this: Be good to her or nobody will ever find your body." She backed away from him, pleased with her threats and the slight look of terror on his face. "Now I'm going to go get her. Rehearsal is going to start soon and everyone should be here any minute."

Finn sat back on the stool, lost in his thoughts. He knew that they had something and he was pretty sure she knew it too. He just needed to find a way to get her to admit it to herself. He used the bottom of his shirt to rid his lips of any lingering lipstick and began practicing at his drums as he thought about how he could help Rachel admit to a possible future between them.

He didn't practice for long before he was joined by the other band members, Rachel included. She didn't speak to him directly, only giving him an apologetic smile before starting rehearsal. Despite what had taken place before, rehearsal had gone relatively smoothly and soon they were finished. Everybody was packing up their things when Finn approached Rachel. He took ahold of her elbow gently.

"Can we talk?"

"Sorry, Finn, I have to go."

For the second time that day, Finn watched her run away from him.

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**A/N- Well, then. That happened. I hope you liked it! Sorry if the formatting is weird. I tried to fix it. I'm planning on posting again on Sunday. Reviews make my heart smile. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- Thank you for all the favorites/alerts/reviews and twitter messages on this story! You guys sure do know how to make a girl feel loved! As always, lots of love to RedAmbition. **

**I, of course, do not own Glee, it's characters, or any of the rights to the awesome music. This is purely for fun.**

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_I know my heart's too drunk to drive_

_But I'm on my way to you_

_Yeah, I'm on my way_

_To you, you, to you tonight_

_I'm on my way to you, you_

_To you, I'm on my way to you_

"Yes! Yes! That was amazing you guys." Artie wheeled his way around to each of the band members for a high five. "This is what I am talking about. With those songs, we will easily be able to impress those stuffy record execs."

"Now what, Artie?" Blaine asked.

Artie handed Rachel a piece of paper that detailed the legal information, she looked it over while he spoke. "Will knows a guy who heard you guys at that show in San Diego last weekend. Anyway, the guy is apparently a big deal at McKinley Records. He liked what he heard and he wants us to record about four of five songs so that he can let some others at the label hear it."

The room erupted into excited chatter, the girls all hugging excitedly while the guys fist bumped and high fived. Wrapped up in the celebrations, Finn swept Rachel up into a bear hug. Her face nestled in his neck as she held him tightly and breathed in his scent. Finn set her down and they separated, each of them knowing that there was no one else that they would rather share this moment with even though things were still weird between them.

It had been over a week since Rachel and Finn had kissed. Rachel had been avoiding all of Finn's attempts to talk to her, evading him every time he got close. She couldn't run from him forever, and it seemed they would be spending even more time together in the near future.

"When do we record?" Sam questioned.

Artie looked around, please with the response. "Day after tomorrow."

"What!" Rachel shrieked. "That barely gives us any time to practice. This is a demo; it will decide everything for us. Can't you get us more time?" She was almost hyperventilating by the time she finished. Santana moved to stand by her, Finn's attempt to do the same, not going unnoticed.

"Relax, Rachel. Why so soon, Wheels?"

Artie shrugged, he would be lying if he said he didn't expect this, especially since he had had a similar reaction. "Will is willing to record the demo for free then. The studio had been booked, but they had to cancel. He said something about band drama. It doesn't matter. You guys sound great. You can do it." He knew he was right, they could do it, but it was the rest of the room he had to convince.

"Guys, Artie is right. We can do it. We will just add a practice tomorrow or something." Finn looked around the room, waiting for a response.

Rachel's eyes locked on Finn's and she gave him a timid smile. "Finn is right. We can do it. This is what we wanted, right?" The room was silent for a split second before the room erupted in another round of excited cheering.

"Aww yeah!" Artie did a donut as he cheered along with the rest of the group.

There was only another minute of cheering and dancing before Rachel poised herself in front of the bands manager. "Artie, if you would excuse us, we have a rehearsal to tend to."

"Sure thing. I'll go finalize things with Will and let him know that we are in." He wheeled himself away from the group, picking his hand up as he allowed his chair to pick up speed as it rolled down the long ramp exiting the studio. "I am the greatest manager ever!"

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Hey man. How did it go?" Puck paused the game he was playing and tossed the controller onto the table as Finn plopped himself on the sofa beside him.

After Artie left, the group had decided on the songs they wanted to record and Rachel made it her personal mission to torture the rest of the group by making them play them about a thousand times each. Despite her suddenly irrational need to be perfect (more so than usual), Finn still felt that he and Rachel shared a rare connection. He was also very happy to be home from the extra-long rehearsal and thrilled that they were getting a chance to take the band further. "It went awesome. We're recording a demo."

"Really?" He sat up straight, intrigued at the news of a demo.

Finn nodded, "Yeah. We record day after tomorrow."

"Cool. Did you and Berry celebrate with a little slap and tickle?" Puck laughed, dodging the fist his friend had thrown. He knew Finn was trying to start some sort of relationship with Rachel. He also knew that she was evading his advances.

"Very funny. She's still avoiding me."

Puck leaned forward, shrugging. "You need to corner her. Make her talk to you. Wait till she is alone, then pounce."

"I'm pretty sure 'pouncing' it what started all this in the first place." Finn did not appreciate the laughter that escaped his friend. He should have anticipated it though. Tact has never been one of Puck's strong suits.

He smirked, knowing the next bit of information would catch his attention. "Well, it's an effective method. Ask Quinn."

"You didn't." Finn swiftly turned his attention to his friend. He knew Puck wanted to pursue the blonde backup singer. He had told him that the very first time they had seen The Titans play. He was just surprised to hear that he might have succeeded. "The party?"

Puck looked at his watch. "I did. In fact, we are going out later."

"How does that even happen?"

"When you've got it, you've got it." Puck shrugged and got up to go get ready for his date.

Finn ran a hand through his hair. Puck may have made the suggestion to corner Rachel innocently, but he may have been onto something. He rested his head on the back of the couch and thought of ways he could corner her so she would hear him out.

They worked together. She couldn't avoid him forever.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"I can't believe we did it!"

"Me either." Blaine raised his drink up to the center of the table, clinking his glass with the others.

The last week had been exciting, exhausting, and inspiring. None of the members of The Titans had realized how much work was involved with recording a demo, but now that it was done, they were all out at a celebratory dinner.

"Now we just wait to hear back from Will."

Rachel shrieked. "You guys! We might be going on tour." She raised her hands in the air, clearly excited at the prospect. "Tour! We are going to be famous and win awards and sign autographs! The people are going to love me."

"Calm down, Ray. We still have a ways to go." Blaine chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm.

Rachel stood, raising a playful eyebrow at Blaine. "I do not appreciate you bringing my good mood down this evening. I'm going to the ladies room, when I return, I expect you all to share my optimistic enthusiasm."

Finn watched her walk away from the table, and he knew that this was his chance. He excused himself from the table and discretely followed her through the restaurant. As she entered the restroom, Finn looked around, checking to make sure nobody was watching, and slipped in before she had a chance to lock the door behind her. Rachel jumped back, letting out a small scream as Finn locked the door.

"Finn. What are you doing in here?" Rachel spoke, her voice indicating a slight edge of fear. She was not scared of Finn; she was scared of herself and her body's reaction to Finn.

Finn leaned against door, his eyes trained intently on the small brunette in front of him. "Rachel, you have been avoiding me."

"I-I have not. It's just been a busy week."

Despite the heavy conversation he knew was coming, he couldn't help the small smile. "A week that we have spent mostly together, remember? I know you, Rach. You have been avoiding me."

"Why did you follow me in here?"

Finn pushed himself off the door. "I needed to talk to you. In private. And since you have been avoiding me, this was the only way to make it happen."

Rachel closed her eyes and let out a breath, dreading the conversation ahead. "Well, you got me alone. What did you need to say that was so important that you felt the need to ambush me in a ladies room?"

"Look, I get that you are freaked out or scared or whatever," he started.

"I'm not…"

"Just let me get this out okay?" He took a deep breath, hoping it somehow brought the courage he would need. "I've tried not to be so insanely attracted you. I know that you are scared of being in a relationship with someone you work with, and I get that. I do. But, Rachel, I know that you feel something for me. I've seen the way you look at me when you think I'm not looking. Me and you, we could be something." Finn dragged his fingers through his hair, his cool façade crumbling. "There is something special between us; I know it and I think you do too." He took a step towards Rachel, who was looking up at him with a look of shock and disbelief.

Rachel looked apologetic as she placed a hand on his forearm. "Finn, being a star is all I've ever wanted. And now… now, we are on the brink of making it all happen. Not just for me, but for you and all of us. I can't let me feelings for you get in the way of that. What if we fight? What if we break up? What will that do to the band?"

"I get that you are scared. I am too. I want the band to succeed, I want _you_ to succeed. But I want this too. Why does it have to be one or the other? Why can't you have both, why are you making yourself choose?" She blinked back tears as he continued. "I'm scared of so many things already. I'm scared that I'll mess up during a show, I'm scared that my brother will sneak into my apartment and go through my closet, I'm scared Puck is going to get a STD and somehow infect the entire apartment." Despite the deep topic of the conversation, Rachel couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. He smiled and continued. "But I'm not scared of this. I have never felt this way about anybody. Ever."

"Finn. I-I…"

He didn't give her the chance to finish her sentence. In one quick motion, Finn wrapped one hand around her waist and placed the other on the back her neck, hauling her close to him for a passionate kiss. Though her arms remained at her side, she lifted onto her toes and kissed him back eagerly. After a minute, Finn pulled back slowly. His eyes fluttered open, noticing that Rachel's were still closed. The way her breathing had slowed, did not escape his notice either. He removed his arm from around her waist and kissed her cheek softly before completely backing away from her. He reached for the doorknob, unlocking it and pulling it open. "Take a chance on me, Rach."

Her heart was conflicted as she watched the bathroom door close behind him, the click of the latch deafening in the suddenly very cold room.

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**A/N- Finn finally got to tell her how he feels. Look for the next chapter on Tuesday! I hope you are all still enjoying this; only 3 chapters left. Feel free to leave a review! They make my heart smile.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- This is it! this is the part I have been dying to share with you all! Thank you for all the favs/reviews/alerts and twitter love. You guys are amazing. As always, RedAmbition is the wind beneath my wings. I really hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**I still do not own Glee, its characters or any of the music. (sad face) This is purely for fun.**

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"Hey. You guys sounded really great."

The unfamiliar voice caused Finn to stop. The Titans had just finished performing at another festival and he was helping to load their stuff into the van. He slowly walked towards the man. "Um, thanks."

"Sorry. I'm Brian Jones. I was a drummer for these guys not too long ago."

Finn set down the large canvas bag he had been carrying and extended his hand to the man. "Oh. Hey! It's nice to meet you. I'm Finn Hudson, the new drummer."

He took his hand and the two men shared a friendly handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Finn." He released his hand and leaned in slightly, like he had a secret. "So, have you met Tessa yet?" He asked with a grin.

Finn rolled his eyes, "Yeah, she's, uh, something else."

Brian chuckled. He remembered the first time he had encountered Tessa. She was jumping around and hugging him and then she asked him to sign her butt. Brian had never seen a girl so forward before. The girl had always been extra flirty, but she had never crossed the line. "She is, but she is harmless." Brian laughed again, this time with Finn joining in shaking his head. "So I heard you guys recorded a demo? That's pretty great."

Finn liked this guy. He seemed really likable and even though he had quit the band unexpectedly, nobody really had a bad thing to say about him. The one time he did see him play, he was pretty good. Actually, he should probably thank the guy. After all, if he hadn't of quit, Finn wouldn't be here. "It is. We should-"

"Brian Jones?"

Brian looked to the petite brunette now standing beside Finn, "Hi Rachel."

"Hey Rach," Finn greeted.

He looked between the two then gestured to Finn. "I was just congratulating Finn. I heard you guys recorded a demo."

"We did. It was an interesting experience." Despite the things that had gone on several months ago, Rachel didn't dislike Brian. He was a good guy.

"I'm going to go finish putting my stuff in the van." Finn picked up the bag from the ground in front of him and extended his hand to Brian once again. "Brian, it was nice to meet you. Rach, I'll see you back at the van." Finn's eyes lingered on hers as he took a few steps in the direction of the van.

"Nice to meet you too, Finn." Brian called out. He didn't miss the way that Finn's cheeks pinked as the two held eye contact until he turned to face forward. When Finn turned, Rachel didn't stop watching him and Brian looked on in amusement, noticing that Rachel's cheeks matched the pink tint in Finn's. "I never thought I'd see the day Rachel Berry was in love with a band mate."

"What?" Her full attention was now on Brian. "Me and Finn? Love? No. W-we are just friends. We work together, it's unprofessional." She stuttered her way through her own, admittedly weak, denial.

Brian folded his arms and gave her a knowing look. "Rachel, we may not have been the best of friends, but I see the way you looked at him just then. And I saw the way he looked at you, too. Why are you so afraid to just be happy?"

"I'm not."

He reached his hand out and rested it on her shoulder. "Then quit using the band as an excuse and just go for it. You deserve to be happy, too."

"Even though I'm a bitch?" She challenged. She wasn't being confrontational, truth was, Rachel had forgiven him a long time ago. That didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun with him though.

He went pale, remembering the day he called her a bitch and stormed out of rehearsal. He didn't regret quitting, but he did feel bad for calling her that. "You remember that, huh?"

"Of course," she nodded.

"I'm sorry about that. I don't usually swear like that, and definitely shouldn't call my friends that."

Rachel giggled slightly, showing him that there were no hard feelings. "Don't worry about it. I was being particularly difficult that day. You are forgiven." She opened her arms and the two shared a friendly hug. They pulled back and Rachel gave him a friendly smile. "How is the new band?"

"It's good. We have been doing a few gigs around town."

"That's great. You should come say hello to everybody, they will be happy to see you." She gestured to where the rest of the group was loading the van in the distance.

"I think I will." He stepped over the caution tape separating the backstage area from the main festival area and stopped next to Rachel. He looked down at her. "Hey Rachel, just, think about what I said, okay. You deserve happiness too. Don't be afraid to take a risk when the reward is love."

She smiled, happy that they had officially made amends. She knew that he was only looking out for her happiness. "Thanks Brian. I'll think about it." She knew that there was truth in this. Brian's words had really struck something in her. If he had noticed something between them, even after barely meeting Finn, she owed it to herself and to Finn to at least think about it more. "When did you get so wise?" She threaded her arm through his, leading him to where the group was.

"See the tall brunette over there, the one with long hair?" Brian pointed to where a group of three or four girls were talking and laughing animatedly in front of the stage and then held up his left hand, revealing a simple gold band. "I took a risk," he shrugged, then turned his attention his former band mates.

Rachel looked at the pretty girl again and smiled. What _was_ she so afraid of?

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"You wrote this?" Santana looked around the room and held up the sheet music.

Finn had finally finished the song he had been working on since he had joined The Titans. He was nervous to share it with the band, but the fact that Rachel was running late today made it a little easier. "Yeah. I wrote it."

"It's pretty good. Not usually the stuff I go for, but it's good."

"How about we run through it a couple times while we wait for Rachel? When she gets here we can add the vocals." Blaine looked around for any objections and then moved behind the piano.

"Where is Rachel, anyway? That girl is never late?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Berry got her panties all in a bunch because she had a tickle in her throat. She insisted on stopping at her herbalists before practice."

Mercedes laughed loudly. "Typical Rachel." She shook her head and moved to her spot next to Quinn. "Are we going to do this?"

"Yes." Blaine looked around the room to verify that his band mates were in place before he nodded once and played the intro to the new song.

They were just finishing the fifth run through when Rachel came into the room holding a cup filled with a green liquid and smiling widely. "That sounded great. What was it?"

"Finn wrote a song." Sam was pretty thrilled with the way they sounded. He was anxious to hear it with the vocals.

Rachel looked at Finn, then back to Sam, then again to Finn. "You wrote a song?"

Finn didn't get a chance to respond before Sam spoke again. He took a copy of the sheet music and thrust it at Rachel, "A good one."

She took the sheet music and began reading it over as Blaine filled her in on what they had done so far. "We ran it a few times, but I think we are ready to hear what it sounds like with the vocals. Do you think you are ready?" When Rachel didn't look up from the music she had been handed, Blaine watched her closely. He had a feeling Finn had written this song about the two of them and this was clearly the first time she was seeing it. He gave her another minute and then asked again. "Rachel?"

She looked up from the paper, but did not look at Blaine. Instead, she looked at Finn in disbelief. "You wrote this?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. When he nodded, she turned her attention back to the sheet music. "It's really good." She meant it too. She knew he was working on something, she had no idea that this was it.

"Thanks."

She smiled at him tentatively and then swept her eyes over the other members of the band. "I'm ready." As they played through the song and Rachel sang the lyrics Finn had written for her to sing, she contemplated its meaning. Did Finn write this song about them? She wanted to believe he was sending her a message within the lyrics; she didn't want to assume so though. That had bit her before.

Rachel didn't want to think about that incident.

The group ran through the song a few more times, making minor adjustments to the background vocals until it was declared stage ready. The group had decided to test the song at the show they were playing the next day. It was a relatively small festival but it would be a perfect test audience for a new song.

"I hope everybody is having a good time today." Rachel smiled out into the audience as they clapped and made noises of appreciation indicating that, yes, they were having a good time. "Yay. We have a special treat for you today." She stole a quick glance at Finn. "Our drummer, Finn, wrote a song and since you guys have been so wonderful today, we want you to be the first to hear it." The crowd cheered some more and Blaine started with the opening notes on his keyboard.

Rachel's cue was only a few notes in, with Finn singing along with her.

_Face to face and heart to heart  
We're so close yet so far apart  
I close my eyes I look away  
That's just because I'm not okay  
But I hold on, I stay strong  
Wondering if we still belong_

Finn's drum part picked up and he watched as Rachel paced around the stage in time with the music. __

Will we ever say the words we're feeling  
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls  
Will we ever have our happy ending?  
Or will we forever only be pretending?  
Will we always, always, always be pretending

Rachel's heart picked up as she heard Finn's voice blending with hers just as they had rehearsed. She's not sure why, but for some reason this feels different. It feels like her own walls have come down with every note that she heard coming from him. She had spent the night before wondering why she was fighting it; why she was fighting them. She knew they had something; she only had to let it happen.

Her eyes found Finn's as he sat behind the drums and she felt as though she was ready to give in.

_How long do I fantasize  
Make believe that it's still alive  
Imagine that I am good enough  
And we can choose the ones we love  
But I hold on, I stay strong  
Wondering if we still belong,_

Finn was captivated by the way Rachel took ownership of the stage. She always did, but somehow, this was different. His lips quirked into a heart melting half smile when their eyes met again and Finn felt as if things had somehow shifted between them.

_Will we ever say the words we're feeling  
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls  
Will we ever have our happy ending?  
Or will we forever only be pretending?  
Will we always, always, always be_

Keeping secrets safe  
Every move we make  
Seems like no ones letting go  
And it's such a shame  
Cause if you feel the same  
How am I supposed to know?

The pair continued sharing subtle smiles and lingering looks as the song rose into its climax. Rachel found herself standing directly in front of Finn at the drum set while they sang the last part of the song.

_Will we ever say the words we're feeling  
Reach down underneath and tear down all the walls  
Will we ever have our happy ending?  
Or will we forever only be pretending?_

Rachel moved to the side of drums; never breaking eye contact with Finn. To the audience, it probably looked like this was all part of the song; after all, they had never heard it before. The rest of the band, however, knew this was not part of the plan. They watched on as Rachel got closer and closer to Finn.

_Will we always, always, always be  
Will we always, always, always be  
WIll we always, always, always be pretending?_

As she held onto the last note, Finn stood from his stool. He towered over her, their toes were nearly touching and they had locked in an intense stare. Rachel had barely finished the note before she placed one hand around the base of his neck as she rose onto her toes, the other still grasping the microphone as she snaked it around his waist. He leaned down ready to accept her kiss eagerly, already reaching out for her waist so he could pull her close.

As soon as their lips touched, the world fell away. The only sounds either could hear were the sounds of their own wildly beating hearts. There was no audience, there was no band, there was no stage. There was only Finn and Rachel and a kiss. THE kiss.

The rest of the band watched on as the pent up attraction forced its way out. Santana quickly moved behind Quinn's microphone, hoping to do some damage control. "Ay Dios Mio! Finally." She looked around the stage, then back out to the audience. "These two have been tap dancing around that for a long time. How about we give them a hand since it seems they finally closed the deal." Santana looked proud of herself as the crowd clapped for the kissing couple.

Sam moved discretely over to where they were sharing the kiss and nudged Rachel softly. "Guys, we are kind of in the middle of the show here."

Finn and Rachel parted lips reluctantly, though their hands stayed in place. They shared a small smile and Rachel took a step back. She moved her fingers subtly over his chest, hoping the action reassured him of their impromptu kiss. She lifted the microphone to her lips as Finn sat back down. She looked at him and nodded once, giving him the cue to start the next song. Finn immediately began to tap out the song and Rachel made her way back to center stage.

After the show, the members of the band exited the stage, overall happy with the show and Rachel stood proudly next to Finn. Her hand brushed against his lightly and he smiled down, brushing his own fingers against hers.

"What the hell was that?" Quinn stood in front of them, her arms folded in front of her.

The pair shared a look and Finn took Rachel's hand. "Well, I'm calling it the superman of kisses. It came with its own cape!" He answered excitedly, he looked over at Rachel, "Right, Rachel?"

Rachel nodded and Quinn turned her attention to the small girl. "It couldn't have waited until after the show?"

"I guess not." Rachel shrugged and looked adoringly at Finn who smiled widely in return.

"Leave them alone Q. With all the pent up sexual frustration these two have been holding on to it's a wonder that all we saw them do was kiss."

Rachel squealed, "Santana!"

"What? It's the truth." Santana shrugged and Quinn walked away shaking her head, Santana noticed the small smile she was trying to conceal. Santana waited until Quinn had moved farther away before she thrust a finger in Rachel's face. "That was your only pass. The audience didn't pay to see you two hump on stage."

Finn tightened his grip on Rachel's hand. "We weren't humping."

Just try to keep it in your pants during shows." She threatened. She then leaned over and hugged Rachel, whispering in her ear; she couldn't let anybody else know she that she was actually happy for Rachel and Finn. "I'm happy for you, Shorty." She pulled back, her expression hard once again, and turned abruptly, leaving Finn and Rachel alone.

Finn turned to her, never letting go of her hand. "So? What does this mean?"

"It means…" Rachel took in a deep breath. "I thought about what you said and you were right. I don't have to choose. There is no reason we can't be together personally and professionally. But Finn, the band comes first. It has to." Finn nodded in agreement. "We can't let our personal relationship affect our professional one."

"It won't."

She placed both her palms on his chest and slid them to where they were linked behind his neck. "Good. How about we seal it with a kiss?"

"Deal." He leaned down, closing the distance between them once again.

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**A/N- I hope you like that! They are finally together! YAY! A milestone for them in the next chapter, which could be posted tomorrow. Reviews make my heart happy!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- Since you've all been so good to me, I am giving you this chapter a day early. Thank you for all the kind words on this. Only one chapter left! RedAmbition is the bomb.**

**I do not own Glee, it's characters, or any of the music used. This is purely for fun.**

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"Sam, how does my hair look?"

"It's fine, Blaine. How do my abs look? Should I do more crunches?"

"Would you two calm down? Your hair looks fine, your abs look fine, we are all fine." Mercedes was trying to keep calm herself, but she, too, was frazzled.

When they had finished the demo, Will and Artie had shared it with the record executives at McKinley records and they immediately picked up the Titans as the newest musical sensation on their label. Their first single had immediately made its way up the charts, making the band a hit. Soon, everybody wanted a piece of the hottest band on the radio. There had even been talk of award nominations.

That's how they ended up backstage at the Britney Pierce Show. Though kooky, the host was very popular and the fact that they had been asked to be there was an honor.

Rachel wrung her hands together nervously from her spot behind the curtain. Her eyes closed as she tried to steady her breath before they went on stage. When she opened them she saw Finn watching her from a few feet away.

Even though Finn and Rachel had been trying to keep their private relationship out of the media, there was plenty of speculation on the nature of it. There had been enough eye witnesses to their on stage kiss over the summer that they couldn't really deny that they had something. They wanted to keep the bands publicity about the music.

Finn kept his eyes on Rachel as he took the few steps necessary to be standing in front of her. As soon as she saw him, her nerves were immediately forgotten. The way he smiled at her, reassured her that they would all be fine; she would be fine. "Break a leg," he said.

She smiled at the traditional good luck sentiment, remembering how she had told him that it was bad luck to say it any other way. She saw the way his eyes were shining with concern and adoration. Her next words surprised her, but she knew as soon as they were said that they were true. "I love you." This may not be the best time to profess her love for the first time, but that didn't make it any less true.

Finn took a small step towards her with a smile on his face. He didn't get to respond, though. The stagehand opened the curtain and ushered the members of the band onto the stage. Finn discretely took Rachel's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze and quickly let it go.

The group each took their seats next to the host's desk. "Hello. Welcome to the Brittany Pierce Show. How about we get started?" She looked to the members of the band, then to the audience, then again to the band. "First Question: What's it like having a hit song on the radio?"

"Amazing."

"Awesome."

"Surreal."

"Cool."

They each spoke in unison, amusing the host. "I guess you are excited then? There is even talk of a Grammy. How do you feel about that?"

"We don't want to jinx anything, but we would be honored if we were even nominated." Rachel was trying to control herself, but the truth was, she wanted that Grammy. She wanted it bad.

"I don't understand all the hype about that. Everybody says they want a Grammy to put on their mantel, but when I tried to put mine up there, she got mad and hit me with her cane." She turned to the now laughing audience, "Am I right?" The crowd all applauded happily.

The members of The Titans all looked to one another; Brittany didn't appear to be kidding. Rachel took in a breath, probably to correct the host, when Santana placed a hand on her arm and shook her head. Santana watched this show all the time, she knew the host was kind of ditzy and she liked it. Santana was harboring her own crush.

"Okay, next question. Let's get down to the real nuggets. How long have you been together?"

Rachel sat taller in her seat. "It has almost been four years now. I can't believe it."

"I thought you got a new drummer only nine months ago?"

"Well, yes. Finn joined us then." Finn shifted in his seat uncomfortably as Rachel explained that they were a band before Finn joined them.

Britney waved her hand dismissively at Rachel's explanation. "Is anybody else sleeping together?"

"Nobody said we were." Finn defended. He had no idea that the questions were going to be about him and Rachel.

Britney smiled. "Lord Tubbington has assured me that you are. And Lord Tubbington is never wrong. Right, audience?" The audience erupted into applause.

The jaws of Finn, Rachel, and the rest of the band dropped. "Can we talk about our album?" Rachel asked through her stage smile.

"Of course." The host held up her note cards, shuffled some to the back and then looked at the group again. "One of the songs, 'Pretending,' was written by your drummer, Finn Hudson. The word on the street is that you wrote it about Rachel, the lead singer. Isn't there a better way to invite someone to play charades with you?"

Finn furrowed his brow and shared a look with Blaine. "Is that a real question?"

"Yes it is, see?" She turned the card so they could see the question written in orange crayon. That actually explained a lot to them.

Finn attempted to answer the question, even though he really wasn't sure what it was. "Yeah. I wrote it. The song is about not fighting your feelings for someone special." He made brief eye contact with Rachel before continuing. "It's like when you love somebody and you know they love you back, but you keep avoiding the relationship with them."

"So it's not about charades?"

Finn chuckled. "No."

"That's disappointing. Onto the next question: Do you always stage inappropriate make out sessions or was that a one-time thing?"

Sam looked around the room with wide eyes. "So… Our album comes out on Tuesday. Who's excited?" The audience clapped and cheered loudly, hopefully helping to get the topic of conversation back on track.

"I heard your song on the radio this morning on my way to work. It's called 'On My Way' and since I was actually on my way to work when I heard it, I decided that you guys are a little psychic. I like that, as long as you don't use your powers to watch me at home." She looked to the group, who all shook their heads negatively. They had given up having a sane conversation with the host; they just needed to go with it. "Good. Since you all seem nice, even though you didn't really tell me who was having sex with who. We are going to let you sing your song for us after we get back from commercial." She turned to face the camera, "We'll be right back."

Confused and slightly amused, the band made it through their performance on the show without any more awkwardness. The members of the band had piled into one of the two cars the record label had provided for promotional obligations. Sam, Quinn, and Mercedes were in one vehicle, leaving Blaine, Santana, Rachel, and Finn to share the second car back to the hotel they were all staying at.

"Wow, she is interesting." Blaine said, laughing slightly.

Santana held up a small piece of paper, smirking. "I got her number"

"Of course you did." Finn wrapped his arm around Rachel's shoulders, happy to be able to show affection within the confines of the car. He hadn't forgotten what she had said to him backstage. He was waiting until they were alone to tell her that he felt the same.

"What? I'm hot, she's hot." Santana shrugged, "Why not?"

Rachel leaned into Finn's hold, resting her head on his shoulder. "We all deserve happiness, Santana." Finn smiled when he heard Rachel's words. They were very similar to the ones he had told her several months ago.

"Gross. You and Gigantor are happy. I get it."

"I think they are cute. I can't believe Britney kept asking questions about you guys though. It's a good thing she has a short attention span." Blaine shook his head as the car pulled up to the curb.

Of course the whole band knew that they were together, how could they not? They kissed on stage. At a show. Lots of people knew they were together. The group decided at the beginning that the nature of their relationship was not a part of what the band was doing and therefore, did not need to be discussed publicly. The media didn't agree. They seemed to love the thought of Finn and Rachel dating in real life, especially now that The Titans were getting national attention. They never denied that they were together, but they never confirmed it either. It made everybody crazy.

The foursome exited the car, deciding to meet for dinner as a group later. Finn led Rachel to the elevator and patiently waited for the doors to close. As soon as they were alone in the enclosed elevator, Finn wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush to him. He wasted no time saying the words he had been holding onto most of the day. "I love you too."

Rachel looked up at him, her eyes shining. "I wasn't sure your heard me."

"I heard you. Had we not been called on stage, I would have told you then. I couldn't wait any longer." He leaned down and kissed her, pouring all of the emotions he was feeling into it.

When they broke apart, Rachel rested her forehead on his. "I love you, so much."

"I love you. What time were we supposed to meet everybody for dinner?"

"Six. Which gives me a solid five hours to ravage you before we need to be anywhere. Finn Hudson, I hope you had lunch, because you are not leaving our room until I have sufficiently had my way with you." He grinned and she pulled him in for another heated kiss.

The elevator dinged and they broke apart. Finn smirked and took her hand as they exited. "I can't wait."

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**A/N- Writing Britney is always a challenge for me, but this was fun. I hope you smiled. Final chapter coming Friday! Feel free to review. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N- We have arrived at the final chapter. Thank you all for allowing me to take you on this journey, I hope you found it enjoyable. Once again, thank you for all the favs/alerts/reviews and twitter messages. RedAmbition continues to rock my world. Flashbacks are in italics!**

**Even after eight chapters, I still do own own Glee, it's characters, or any of the music though. I do own Tessa though. ;)**

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Finn stood in front of the mantle, admiring the many trophies that were displayed, when he felt the small arms of his wife wrap around his mid section. "Hey husband. What are you doing?"

Finn lifted his arm, allowing Rachel to take her place under his arm. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I'm just remembering when we won our first award. Crazy to think it was so long ago."

"I remember that day."

_"__Oh my God. I can't believe we just won a Grammy." Rachel entered her apartment, followed closely by Finn._

_The last month had been a crazy whirlwind of changes. Finn and Rachel had moved in together about a month ago when Santana decided to move in with Britney. Sam had needed a place to stay after his own roommate moved out, so he took Finn's old room in Puck's apartment._

_They were just returning home after a long night at the awards ceremony and an after party the group had been invited to. Finn placed the trophy on the small mantle and admired it thoughtfully. He knew this was the moment he had been waiting for since he found himself in that jewelry store a couple weeks ago. He had been carrying the ring around in his pocket every day since. "We did it. Best New Artist."_

_The words were spoken with excitement, but Rachel knew her boyfriend better than that. "Finn, why don't you seem that happy? We won!" She turned to face him, placing her hand on his arm lovingly._

_"__I am happy, Rach. I promise. I'm just a little nervous." He, too, turned to face her, blowing out a breath in an effort to calm himself down._

_"__Why are you nervous? We won. We already have the trophy." She took a small step towards him, surprised that he put his hand in the front pocket of his tuxedo pants._

_"__Cause. I don't know, what if you say no?"_

_"__No? What are you talking… Finn?"_

_He took his out of the pocket grasping onto the ring nervously as he dropped down to his knee in front of their mantle. "From the first time I saw you, I felt drawn to you. Then I heard you sing, and your voice wrapped around my heart and refused to let it go. I have been lucky enough to call you my girlfriend for the past year and a half. You are gorgeous and talented and I would be honored if you would allow me to call you my wife. Rachel Berry, Will you marry me?"_

_Her eyes shone with tears as he said the words every girl hopes to here from the man that she loves. She nodded and let out a choked, "Yes."_

_"__Yes? Was that a yes?" He stood, his own tears threatening to fall, and he placed his hands on her hips._

_"__Yes, that's a yes. I will marry you Finn." He reached for her hand, sliding the ring onto her ring finger before they shared their first kiss as an engaged couple._

"That was a good day." Finn said.

She reached up on her toes, kissing his lips tenderly. "Are you almost ready? Quinn called a little while ago and said that Sam and his fiancé had just got to the studio."

"Yeah. I'm ready. Did you get Liz ready?"

Rachel didn't get a chance to answer before the smiling five year old entered the room. "Hi Daddy, do you like my dress?" She twirled, showing off how the pale pink dress fanned out when she did so.

Finn kissed Rachel's lips then knelt down in front of his only daughter. "I love it. You look like a princess, sweetie. Did mommy help you pick it out?"

"Yep!"

He kissed her cheek, smiling at how adorable this little girl was. "It's beautiful. Can you go tell Chris and Alex that we are ready to go?"

"You got it, Daddy."

Finn and Rachel watched in amusement as the held up her thumb and ran away yelling for her brothers. "Do you think the boys are still clean?" Rachel asked, leaning her head against Finn's chest.

"I hope so; I only left them alone ten minutes ago."

Rachel giggled. "They are seven and nine, that's all the time they need."

"Come on, let's get everybody in the car, we don't want to be late."

After washing the boys one more time, the family of five made their way to the building where Titan Records called home.

When The Titans began their second world tour, Quinn had found out she and Puck were going to have a baby. Puck immediately decided to join them on tour and the two were married in Paris. Four months later, Rachel found out she was pregnant with Christopher. When they returned home, the band decided to take a break from touring and work on a new album while the two women prepared for their first children.

The album they had released the after the babies were born earned them a Grammy for Album of the Year and one for Song of the Year, adding to their trophy case. It had even garnered them another North American tour (complete with two toddlers).

When The Titans amicably parted ways after several years together, they scattered themselves around the country. They always had a special place in their hearts for each other, setting aside time every year to get together so that they could stay close, even though they were geographically far apart.

After Alex was born, Finn had noticed that Rachel was beginning to show signs of missing the stage. She had once told Finn that, at one time, she wanted to be on Broadway, and Finn saw no reason that they could not make that happen. He and Puck had talked about starting a record company of their own and they could do that anywhere. The two families moved to New York the next year.

The Hudson's entered the lounge area of the studio, and Rachel followed the kids to where some activities had been set up for them. Finn noticed Sam milling around in the middle of the room and walked over to him, holding out his hand to greet him. When he took it, Finn pulled him in for a hug. "Hey man. Good to see you."

"Good to see you too. You sick of New York yet?"

"Nah, man. We like it here." Despite being on the complete opposite coast from where they had met, the couple found New York to be home. It helped that his parents weren't too far away, and that his brother lived there. "I heard you brought a girl with you? Fiancé? Last time we talked, you weren't even dating anybody."

Sam scanned the room, looking for the tall blonde. "We met, we fell in love. And you know, when you know, you know."

"Believe me, I know." Finn looked across the room, catching the eye of his wife. They shared a smile while she conversed with Quinn on the other side of the room.

Sam laughed, "Superman of kisses, I remember." Sam reached out his arm, pulling the woman who had appeared next to him closer. "Finn, this is my fiancé, Tessa. Tessa, this is Finn."

Finn politely shook the woman's hand, cocking his head to one side. "You look kind of familiar, have we met before?"

"We have. I saw you guys play shortly after you joined. I got your autograph." She blushed, remembering exactly where she received the autograph and hoping he didn't.

He didn't. "That's cool. Sorry I don't remember you, I tend to forget things like that."

"Don't even worry about it. That was a long time ago. I was much younger and a little less inhibited then." The woman waived at him dismissively.

"So Sam, how is Nashville?"

Sam's eyes lit up as they always did when he was able to talk about his budding country music career. After the Titans decided to part ways, he was able to work on his own country music album. "Things are going great. I'm set to release my second album in September."

"That's great, man. I heard great things about it." Finn smiled warmly at Sam and his fiancé and then looked up to see other friends arriving. "Oh hey! Santana just got here. I'll catch up with you two later. I'm sure Rachel will want to know how you two met."

"You got it, Finn."

Finn made his way over to where Santana was looking at some of the records hung up on the wall. "Santana. I wasn't sure you and Britney were going to make it."

"I tried to talk Brit out of coming. She won; she always wins." Santana said with a smirk.

Finn shook his head, smiling. He would let her go on believing that she actually believed she didn't want to come. "That's why she has a talk show. Have you seen Rachel yet?"

"Not yet, I just got here. Britney got recognized outside and a few fans cornered her, she never tells them to piss off."

Finn laughed and realized that, despite her abrasiveness, he had missed Santana. "Well, not everybody can be as blunt as you."

"What would be the fun in that Tubs?" She gave him a playful look, showing him that she was using the nickname with love. "I heard Mercedes Jones is Titan Recordings next big thing. Any truth to that?"

"Her first single comes out next month." Finn said proudly. "She is planning on being here tonight."

"The girl can sing; that has never been a secret." Santana looked around the room, spotting her girlfriend finally making her way inside. "Oh! There's Brit! I'm gonna go make sure she sees me."

"Don't let me stop you." Finn made his way over to where his wife was standing and carefully reached up and pinched her back side, causing her to jump slightly.

"Finn Hudson, why do you do that? You know it always makes me jump."

Finn raised an eyebrow at her, circling his arms around her waist and pulling her flush to him. "I think you just answered your own question there, Babe." He leaned down, kissing her gently. "What happened to our kids?"

"You know how they are, once they see Beth and Tommy, we no longer exist. I think they went to the Lego table in the kid room." Quinn and Puck's two children were practically inseparable. Growing up together, moving across the country together, and being really close in age had given the five kids a very close relationship; one that made their parents happy they had gotten along so well. "I've seen several people come in already. It's a good turn out."

"It is. Sam really does have a fiancé. Who saw that coming?"

Rachel looked over at Sam, who was showing the tall blonde on his arm the trophies displayed throughout the room. The woman turned and Rachel squinted, trying to make sure she was seeing things properly. "Wait a minute. Isn't that the groupie who had you sign her boob?"

Finn focused on the girl once again. Maybe that's why she looked so familiar. "Which one?"

"Finn." She playfully slapped at his chest, though never left his embrace.

"What? In case you don't remember, we were kind of a big deal once."

She watched as Sam and the woman interacted on the other side of the room. She wasn't jealous or worried, she found it amusing that the woman was here, and apparently engaged to Sam. It didn't surprise her, though. "And you are kind of a hunk." She touched her lips to Finn's then once again looked over to where Sam and Tessa were. "They make a cute couple."

"They do. Oh look. Blaine and my brother just got here. How about we go mingle with our friends, Mrs. Hudson?"

She leaned up and kissed his cheek then whispered in his ear. "Just remember, you are coming home with me tonight." As if there was never a question.

"Always." Finn kissed her again, then stepped back and took her hand, leading her into an evening spent reminiscing and catching up with old friends and new.

Just because Rachel was no longer in a band and touring the world, doesn't mean she did not have the things she had sought out in her youth. She had won Grammy awards alongside her husband and friends. She had platinum records on her wall and a second career on Broadway where she was expected to win a Tony award. She had many fantastic friends who had stood by her at her best and her worst. Her three wonderful kids made her feel like she was a super hero.

And then there was Finn. He was the man she never knew she always wanted. From the beginning he made her feel like the luckiest girl in the world. She was determined to make him feel equally as lucky.

It was safe to say that Rachel Berry-Hudson had made it.

* * *

**A/N- And that completes Front Man. I truly hope you enjoyed it. I've already started on my next story (a multi-chapter collaborative story with RedAmbition), so you will be seeing me again! I'm very excited about it and seriously can't wait to share it with you. Unfortunately, I have no idea when it will be ready to post, but stay tuned. **

**Thank you all again. Feel free to leave a review! **


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